Afterwards: Take Four- Meteor Showers
by bijective and invertible
Summary: Izumo remembers about one of Totsuka's hobbies.


**Series:** Afterwards

**Summary:** A series of short stories regarding the members of Homra after the loss of their king and third executive.

* * *

**Take Four** - Meteor showers

**Summary: **Izumo remembers about Totsuka's hobbies**.**

**Rating:** K

* * *

A few days after the Red king's death Izumo collects the courage to visit Tatara's apartment to clean it up. He was still in too much pain to go upstairs and enter the rooms once inhabited by Mikoto. Totsuka's loss was now more bearable.

Izumo is followed by Eric and Fujishima, the other members were busy. The blond bartender went up the staircase, sparing his subordinates a glance to see how they were holding up. Both the boys faces were grim.

Izumo opened the door to Totsuka's apartment and let himself and the others in.

The apartment was clean but cluttered. It looked lived in. A painful reminder of a young life lost.

"Come on lets pack it all up." orders Izumo setting down the armful of cardboard boxes.

* * *

Izumo opened the cupboard in the bedroom. He immediately jumped away to avoid the mass of books that nearly fell on top of him. He cursed loudly and bent down to pick up the books. There were a few thick leather tomes along with paperbacks and a few magazines. A book on astronomy peered up at him, it's blue cover illustrated by stars.

_The story of stars. _

It was a book about stargazing, various constellations and the story behind them. It had been a gift from Kusanagi himself , a long time back. The blond found himself smiling remembering the time when Totsuka was sixteen and had started the hobby of stargazing .

**Flashback**

_"Oye! Oye! How long are we going to stay up here?" demanded Mikoto irritably. He was annoyed at being dragged out of bed to watch a meteor shower from Totsuka's makeshift observatory. _

_The observatory consisted of the terrace of the bar and and a second hand telescope Totsuka has found from god knows where. The brunette insisted on spending every night on the roof staring into the sky with a telescope. He had woken them both up and insisted on watching the meteor shower together. After a lot of begging, Totsuka's persistence had won out. Now they were on the roof on a cold January night, a light sheet of snow covering everything in white. It was pitch black with a little starlight. And then it started. A streak of light across the sky had Totsuka jumping up, stumbling in his glee to reach the telescope. Izumo and Mikoto followed, dusting off powdery snow from their pant legs. _

_Tatara hunched over the telescope peering into the night sky. He was rewarded with another streak of light followed by another, followed by another. _

_Izumo's eyes widened at the sight. It was like stars were raining down from the heavens. Even Mikoto someone who was unaffected by anything stared out at the sky. _

_The meteor shower had lasted exactly fifteen minutes thirty one seconds. The ending had imitated the beginning, a last few streaks of lights alighting the sky. _

Izumo sighed, a burst of air from his lips. It was now nearly six years after that night. Placing the book away he thought about that night. Now reminiscing about it he could pick out holes in his memory. He couldn't remember whether he or Mikoto or both of them had been smoking or not. He remembered the smell of nicotine but not smoking any.

He also couldn't remember what Mikoto had told him. He remembered Mikoto glancing at Totsuka before his eyes turned on him and his mouth moving, forming words he couldn't remember. Little details slipped from his memories like sand from ones hand. Feeling sadness steal up upon him, Izumo felt that he could understand Totsuka's almost obsession with living and making memories.

Only when you have lost someone do you try and preserve their memories. That memory of a cold January night would forever remain as a jewel in his memories.

* * *

Hope you enjoyed. Reviews and constructive criticism is welcome.


End file.
